Tourist Noise May Be Altering Calls of Uttarakhand's State Bird, Study Finds
A study by HNB Garhwal University researchers finds Himalayan monals in noisy tourist areas like Chopta use higher-frequency, shorter calls than those in quieter valleys such as Madmaheshwar.
Current Summary
A study by researchers at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (HBGU), published in the journal Behavioural Processes, has found that Himalayan monals — Uttarakhand's state bird — living in noisier areas use higher-frequency, shorter calls than those in quieter habitats. The researchers compared monal calls recorded in two valleys within the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary: Madmaheshwar, which has relatively little human activity, and Chopta, a busy tourist area with roads, traffic and pilgrims. Using microphones and passive acoustic monitoring devices, they recorded hundreds of calls across different seasons and found monals in the noisier Chopta Valley consistently produced calls with higher peak frequencies and shorter duration. Anand Kumar, assistant professor at HBGU's Department of Zoology and a co-author of the study, said the difference was associated with the noise levels in each valley, suggesting increasing human activity may be influencing how the birds communicate.
What We Know
- HBGU researchers recorded Himalayan monal calls in Madmaheshwar (quiet) and Chopta (busy tourist area) within the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary.
- Monals in the noisier Chopta Valley produced higher-frequency, shorter calls than those in Madmaheshwar.
- The study is published in the journal Behavioural Processes.
- Researchers suggest the shorter, higher-pitched calls may help the birds communicate over traffic and human noise that masks lower frequencies.
What Is Still Unclear
- Whether the altered calls affect mating success or long-term population health.
- How widespread this effect is across other tourist-heavy areas of Uttarakhand.
What Changed
- 3 Nov, 07:21 amSignal detected: Tourist Noise May Be Altering Calls of Uttarakhand's State Bird, Study Finds